Any disc manufacturers out there? I've got an idea...

I'll preface this discussion by saying that I've gotten a very polite "interesting idea" from one of the staffers that I know at Innova (but they've chosen not to act upon it as of yet), and I've yet to speak to anyone at Discraft.

I've got an idea related to the manufacturing of disc golf discs...actually, TWO ideas that I haven't seen tried yet but ones that I think would fly (literally...pun-intended, LOL). However, I'm not in a financial position to try and make a go at trying to develop at least a first "trial run" to see how the discs would fly (as well as what players thought of them).

I know this completely sounds like one of those "Yeah....sure.....uh-huh" types of things! :) However, I am a 10+ year entrepreneur who has successfully started two business ventures, as well as a guy who has thought about this particular idea for the past few years. I'm to the point where I would like to talk to a disc manufacturer or two (or ten) to see if anyone might be willing to give the idea a shot...and am wondering if anyone out there would be willing to give me contact information of any smaller manufacturers you know that might be looking for a unique concept or two to potentially develop.

Replies to This Discussion

Hey Derek,
If I were you, I'd talk to David McCormack. He can sometimes be a little difficult to respond, but he is the kind of guy you need to talk to. He has taken Gateway from a garage style biz to a serious contender in the disc world. Call him, hound him and be a little patient with him. He's the first guy I'd call if I thought I'd re-invented the wheel.

It's not so much "re-inventing the wheel" as it is making discs a little more environmentally-friendly and a bit easier to find. ;-) I'll give David a call/email and see if he has any interest in the specific concept. If not, I'll keep working at it. I KNOW it'll be a good thing (and could even lower manufacturing costs!) if someone would help me make it happen...I just need someone to give it a shot.

Well put ghstinshll,
I guess that's why I thought of Dave(Gateway). Anybody that would have the "Super Stupid Soft Putter"& "Dimpled Technology" as part of their line up is open to almost anything. Good luck!!

OMG ghstinshll! Is there any chance that we are actually twins separated at birth?!! One of my good friends throws the 10M brick. He'll throw it for a while and rave about how great it is, then when he has a rash of misses with it, he says it's the biggest piece of crap ever conceived at which point he'll go back to the aviar. Basically he flip flops back and forth between those two. I too, like you, throw a Raging Inferno, but not the DT version. I should probably try it though as I've heard it's a bit more stable. I have to finesse the release of this Inferno to keep it from turning over, maybe the DT would prevent that. Anyway, ghstinshll, it was like looking in a mirror when I read your response.

That relationship between Quest & Gateway is a little hard to totally understand. Not sure who makes what, who designs what, but they are in bed somehow. I have spoken to Dave on a handful of occasions and aside from being a very down to earth guy, technically astute & able throw on a rope for a zillion feet, I get the impression that he is the apple among PCs, the linux in a sea of windows, and in general very able to not take the status quo as the standard. He definitely colors outside the lines. The pdga website (http://www.pdga.com/msgboard/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=534895&a...) has some very interesting exchanges with Dave. If you're feeling abnormally nerdy, you might enjoy looking this group of discussions over.

Dave is a good guy. If you approach him and let him know your ideas he usually tries to figure out how to work them into his designs. Right now, I don't know your idea for environmetally friendly, but he is using plastic that he has had on hand for a long time. He bought bulk from Nike and has a massive amount of plastic.
Quest was contracted to help Dave produce discs. Dave needed a way to increase his production and Quest was the solution. The Inferno line was a co-op adventure between Gateway and Quest.

Had a great chat with David earlier this afternoon...and I think we might be able to get a few things done. Time will tell, but he seems like a great guy. Very much the entrepreneur...and open to trying out new things. Thanks again to Richard for giving me his contact info!

don't i feel like a schmuck for saying he was difficult to get to respond. Sorry 'bout that davey-boy. looking forward to seeing the next Gateway/Derek Tonn collaboration. Prepare to be Educated Derek.

The education process is already well-underway, as David DEFINITELY knows his stuff....and I am but a lowly unfrozen caveman disc golf player, brush hauler and litter-picker-upper...thawed from the glaciers of Greenland in effort to continue my search for that 350+ foot drive. I can get my drives out around 300 feet now after a full year of working at it (could only manage around 270'-275' in 2006), so maybe there's hope for me with some of David's claims that his "dimple technology" will add another 20 percent to folks' distance. I sure hope so! Having teenagers who weren't even alive when I was in college out-driving me by 100+ feet is a bit TOO humbling, if you know what I mean! :-)

Ive been playing for almost five months i dont know or care how far i drive as long as im having fun and meeting great people like all of you im happy. if i had to guess if i get it all right(which dosent happen alot) i can probaly get 325 350 on a good drive